1. If You Were a Penguin by Wendell Minor ($3 in SeeSaw)
2. Bad Pets by Allan Zullo ($2 in Lucky)
3. Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters ($4 in Lucky)
4. Meet George Washington by Patricia A. Pingry ($4 in SeeSaw)
5. Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport ($4 in SeeSaw)

Scholastic Book Clubs’ Bestsellers are the most popular booksoffered across all age groups (PreK–8) each month. The ranking is based on the unit sales of titles available at the time through Scholastic Book Clubs. Books available each month for $1 are not included.

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Picture Books

1. Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff ($2 in Firefly)

2. You Think It’s Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt ($4 in SeeSaw)

3. Penguins by Liz Pichon ($3 in Firefly)

4. Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub ($4 in SeeSaw)

5. Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney ($2 in Firefly)

Transitional Readers

1. Gus Makes a Friend by Frank Remkiewicz ($2 in Firefly)

2. Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School by Jane O’Connor ($3 in SeeSaw)

The Caldecott Medal goes to A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Erin Stead, written by Philip Christian SteadIn this heartwarming picture book with a classic feel, zookeeper Amos McGee is nursed back to health by some very unusual visitors! Surprising, funny, and very, very sweet.

The Caldecott Honors books are as follow (and you can find both on Book Clubs this January!):

Dave the Potter by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick HillThe perfect balance of depth and beauty, this is a rich picture book about an enslaved potter and talented poet living in South Carolina in the 1800’s. You can find Dave the Potter on Voices this January!

The Newbery Medal goes to Moon Over Manifest by Clare VanderpoolA true page-turner, this debut novel is a compelling mystery and rich coming-of-age story set during the Great Depression.

The Newbery Honor books are as follows:

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick AllenDelicious language, rich vocabulary, and interesting science converge on the pages of this beautiful book of poems about nocturnal life.

Heart of a Samurai by Margi PreusThis is a captivating seafaring adventure based on the remarkable true story that took one teenage boy from Japan to America and back again, beginning in 1841.

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. HolmThis charming and funny adventure swirls in lively fashion around Turtle, a tough and witty 11 year-old, and the eccentric relatives she meets in Depression-era Key West. Laughs galore!

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-GarciaIn this truly entertaining ode to the 1960’s, Rita Williams-Garcia introduces readers to three likable and precocious sisters, whose entertaining squabbles are an absolute delight.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Lights are being strung, trees are being dragged through the city to be put up before Christmas morning, and in my house, trays upon trays of cookies are coming out of the oven. I don’t have a favorite Christmas cookie, but I do have a few family recipes that we make every year without fail. It’s not because they are the most delicious (even though they are) or that they are the beautifully decorated (which they aren’t). The reason we make these same three types of cookies is that they are perfect for baking with a big group. Everyone can have a hand in the fun and the recipes are so simple, they are almost fool-proof.

Simple Illustrated Instructions and Full Color Photos

But I’m not one to just continue making the same thing year after year, and in the end, all that matters is that the recipes are easy and fun to make. So this weekend, I’m going to be testing out a few new kid-friendly, fool-proof cookie recipes from The Usborne Children’s Book of Baking to add to my cookie repertoire. The Children’s Book of Baking is my favorite type of cookbook – it has wonderful photos so you know what your cookies should look like when they’re done, and there only a few simple ingredients per baked treat. With fun recipes like easy meringue cookies, jammy sandwich cookies, and chocolate brownies, how could you go wrong? Just don’t be surprised when your little one takes the wooden spoon and starts giving instructions on how YOU should be baking!

Having guests? Try these sunny muffins!

The Usborne Children’s Book of Baking can be found in the Firefly December catalog.

1. Little Critter’s The Night Before Christmas by Mercer Mayer ($2.00 in Firefly)2. The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup ($4.00 in SeeSaw)3. Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright ($4.00 in SeeSaw)4. The Night Before New Year’s by Natasha Wing ($2.00 in Firefly)5. The Little Reindeer by Caroline Repchuk ($3.00 in SeeSaw)

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney ($7.00 in Arrow)2. The Pup Who Cried Wolf by Chris Kurtz ($2.00 in Arrow)3. The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman ($3.00 in Arrow)4. Tangled: The Junior Novelization ($4.00 in Arrow)5. Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub by Jamie Gilson ($3.00 in Arrow)

Middle Grade Fiction

1. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan ($9.00 in Arrowand TAB)2. The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen ($3.00 in Arrow)3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling ($8.00 in Lucky, Arrow, and TAB)4. Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter ($5.00 in Arrow)5. Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn ($3.00 in TAB)

Young Adult Fiction

1. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier ($5.00 in TAB)2. Accidental Love by Gary Soto ($4.00 in TAB)3. Missing by Catherine MacPhail ($4.00 in TAB)4. The Dying Breath by Alane Ferguson ($5.00 in TAB)5. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs ($4.00 in TAB)

Nonfiction (All Ages)

1. 3-D Thrillers! The Ice Age and Incredible Pre-Historic Animals ($4.00 in Lucky)2. How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up by Trevor Romain ($3.00 in Lucky and Arrow)3. Scholastic Book of World Records 2011 ($9.00 in Lucky)4 Why Is the White House White? by Connie and Peter Roop ($2.00 in Lucky)5. Thirty Days Has September: Cool Ways to Remember Stuff ($3.00 in Arrow)

Scholastic Book Clubs’ Bestsellers are the most popular booksoffered across all age groups (PreK–8) each month. The ranking is based on the unit sales of titles available at the time through Scholastic Book Clubs. Books available each month for $1 are not included.

Last week we had the first snow of the season here in New York. Granted it was just some flurries, but it had everyone buzzing with excitement in our offices! So we thought we’d gather some of our favorite snow reads for when we get back inside after spending all day in the stuff!

Snow

Cynthia Rylant’s quiet lyrical text and Lauren Stringer’s beautiful illustrations together make Snow a wonderful love letter to, well, snow! It’s a perfect bedtime story after a full day of snowmen and snow angels for little ones. You can find it on SeeSaw December!

Sneezy the Snowman

This snowman cannot stay warm! Every time his friends try to help, he ends up melting and they have to rebuild him. Find out how they fix Sneezy’s snowy problem in this hilarious read-aloud on SeeSaw December!

Mouse’s First Snow

Join Mouse as he experiences all the best parts of winter! Ride along with him on his first sled, and watch as he and his father build his first snow house and as Mouse makes his own snow angel. This Firefly December title is perfect for beginning readers

The Magical Snowman

Told with simple text and engaging illustrations, The Magical Snowman is a story about friendship. Little Rabbit makes a snowman one morning, and while his father says the snowman isn’t real, Little Rabbit will find out just how real the snowman is! Available on Firefly December!

Where the Snowflakes Fall

With an adorable arctic seal on the cover, little readers will love this book all about arctic animals that live in snow! Find it on Honeybee this December!

Snow Science Pack

As an added bonus, on SeeSaw this December you can find a kit to make your own snow! (I won’t lie, I may bring this with me when I visit Florida!)

Full disclosure: I am a product of what I like to call the golden age of Disney cinema—the first movie I can remember seeing in the theater is The Little Mermaid and I’m fairly certain I watched my Aladdin VHS every day for a month…or until it wouldn’t play anymore. I can still play Beauty and the Beast songs on the piano, and my iTunes still has a very extensive Disney playlist.

That being said, I went into Tangled with some trepidation. Disney had yet to recapture that, dare I say, magic quality it had in abundance when I was younger.

Tangled easily took me back to that time. There’s the princess, Rapunzel, locked away in her tower, the rakish (but still heroic) Flynn Rider, the sidekicks, and, of course, the evil villain, Mother Gothel…and to top it all off, music by Disney heavyweight Alan Menken. The story is funny, adventurous, and romantic.

But my favorite part of Disney movies (and Tangled is no exception) is how strong the female characters are. Rapunzel is not a damsel in distress—she fights for herself, maintains her independence, and saves the hero! She, like princesses before her, is strong, capable, and confident.

We’ve got several books available so that kids of all ages can read about the fairy tale as well!

In Firefly December, you can find Tangled: A Dazzling Day, a picture book perfect for reading aloud.

In SeeSaw December, you’ll find the early reader, Tangled: Kingdom of Color. This is great for kindergartners or first graders just beginning to read themselves.

In Lucky December, we have a stepping-stone reader, Tangled: Rapunzel’s Tale, for slightly more advanced readers.

Lastly, in Arrow December you can find the junior novelization for kids who want to relive the movie (I know that I did!).

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